Seòmar agus comataidhean

The former Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills wrote to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland earlier this year in response to correspondence from the Commissioner about this year’s Alternative Certification Model and the Scottish Qualifications Authority appeals process.

More recently I have written to the Commissioner in response to points raised by young people in response to the published appeals arrangements for this year.

Scottish Government officials have engaged with representatives from the Commissioner’s office on these matters.

No discussions have taken place between the myself and The Equality and Human Rights Commission in respect of the Alternative Certification Model.

In support of the process to deliver this year’s Alternative Certification Model and appeals service, the Scottish Qualifications Authority has engaged with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

(a)Additional Support for Learning Teachers

Statistics on the full time equivalent number of additional support for learning teachers by local authority from the 2020 staff census are published in Table 6.5 of the 2020 Teacher Census Supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website here https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

(b) Pupil Support Assistants - Classroom Assistants, Additional Support Needs Auxiliaries or Care Assistants

The use of the term 'classroom assistant' varies between local authorities and is sometimes used interchangeably with 'additional support needs auxiliary or care assistant'. Therefore these two categories of school support staff are combined and reported as 'pupil support assistants' in the published statistics on school support staff.

Data on school support staff was collected in the form of hours per week rather than Full Time Equivalent in 2020. This is because different local authorities have different definitions of ‘full time hours’, therefore Full Time Equivalent comparisons between local authorities were not valid. Statistics on the number of hours per week of pupil support assistants by local authority from the 2020 staff census are published in Table 1.1 of the 2020 School Support Staff statistics, available on the Scottish Government website here https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-support-staff-statistics/ . Calculations of Full Time Equivalent numbers of support staff are published in table 2.1 allowing a comparison to be made with 2018 and 2019 data at a national level.

We have published robust guidance on ventilation in schools which has been developed collaboratively with stakeholders, including the Scottish Heads of Property Services Network, and has incorporated the latest SAGE and Health and Safety Executive expert advice and practical user feedback.

To date, the Scottish Government has committed over £400 million over 2020-21 and 2021-22 to support education recovery. With £90 million committed to support local authorities in implementing protection measures, such as increased ventilation, to ensure schools are safe, open and welcoming, in line with schools guidance.

Shipping safety is a matter reserved to the UK Government. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) undertook General Inspections on the Ensco DS-8 vessel on 9 February and on the Valaris DS-4 vessel on 10 February. During these inspections a number of deficiencies were noted and enforcement notices issued.

With regard to formal investigation, the decision whether to formally investigate lies with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) as the UK’s marine accident investigation authority. I understand that they will not be conducting a full investigation into this incident. The Port Authority, Peel Ports, will be undertaking their own investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The MCA are continuing to liaise with the operator of the vessels, the vessels’ Flag State, the vessels’ Class Society and the Port Authority to determine if there has been any breach of Merchant Shipping legislation.

The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety standards and for these to be followed by those accessing our unique and fragile coastal areas.

Guidance has been issued to colleges and universities to support the administration of the £22 million HE Coronavirus Discretionary Fund. This document complements the main Discretionary Fund guidance which is produced and provided each year by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). A copy of the Coronavirus Discretionary Fund guidance can be found at: https://www.saas.gov.uk/files/499/saas-coronavirus-discretionary-fund.pdf

In addition, information on Discretionary Funds is available through the Student Information Scotland ( www.studentinformation.gov.scot ) and SAAS ( www.saas.gov.uk ) websites respectively.

The Scottish Government are in discussion with students, universities and colleges on approaches to minimise the impact of COVID-19. An immediate priority is to enable students to continue and complete their learner journeys and move into employment or further study.

To support this priority, a short life Ministerial Task force has been established chaired by the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science.

This group will be tasked with moving in a rapid and agile manner to collectively provide solutions to address issues now facing learners as a result of the extended disruption to learning and teaching caused by COVID-19 restrictions.

We fully expect institutions to adopt a fair approach to assessments, which supports students in attaining the qualifications they deserve despite the challenges faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Universities are, however, autonomous bodies and do not all follow the same pattern for exams, they are responsible for their own policies and procedures.

There are some courses where evidence is required in order to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency, to allow for transitions into the workplace of specific work disciplines. Therefore it is difficult to adopt a blanket approach to this.

We are absolutely clear that learners should have their achievements recognised and awarded, as in any other academic year, such that they can continue with their chosen pathways.

We are working with universities, colleges and others to consider the challenges in delivering practical learning and our immediate priority is to help students complete their courses.

The £22 million HE Coronavirus Discretionary Fund was issued to colleges and universities in February 2021. These funds are available to all students studying a course of Higher Education who are facing financial hardship including EU/ international students and nursing and midwifery students.

Colleges and universities can continue to use up to £5.9 million of these funds through to the end of the 2020-21 Academic Year, being 31 July 2021.

The £53 million allocated to the Energy, Circular Economy and Environment programme in the Ayrshire Growth Deal features a £41.5 million investment from the UK Government, with the remaining £11.5 million funded by Ayrshire’s local authorities.

The three constituent projects in this programme were included in the Full Deal documentation for the Ayrshire Growth Deal, signed in November 2020. Although it is not making a funding contribution to these particular projects, the Scottish Government will use its influence as a partner to ensure that our commitment to a Just Transition and fostering of a Wellbeing Economy informs implementation of this element in the wider Ayrshire Growth Deal over the next decade.

Asymptomatic testing is a useful tool in our fight against coronavirus but it must be used in conjunction with other mitigations. All general and sectoral guidance must still be followed even where asymptomatic testing is taking place – including 2 metre distancing, hand washing, enhanced hygiene and self isolation of close contacts where cases are discovered.

The First Minister set out in parliament on Tuesday 3 rd Feb the approach to broadening the use of asymptomatic testing in Scotland. We are taking a targeted approach to introducing regular routine testing of those without symptoms, focussed on settings with higher transmission risks, such as food processing and distribution sites. We will provide tests for free until such time as we no longer believe there is a risk within that setting. Targeted community testing is also taking place in geographical areas which have high levels of prevalence and this community testing could include significant local employers where this is deemed appropriate by the relevant local authorities.

Our testing strategy will continue to be kept under review to ensure that testing continues to be used where appropriate to support efforts to suppress the virus.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding for the manufacture of munitions – either directly or via our enterprise agencies. The support provided is mainly focused on helping firms to diversify and develop non-military applications for their technology and ensure Scotland continues to benefit from the thousands of jobs in the defence, aerospace and shipbuilding sectors.

I have asked the enterprise agencies to respond to you direct with further details of the support provided.